


Inspiration

by SailorChibi



Series: Lovesquare 2019 Ficlet Expansions [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrien just wants to love his lady, Dancing, Designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, I seem to have developed a thing for dressing Marinette in blue and silver oops, Identity Reveal, Ladybug is very weak when it comes to Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Has Made a Mistake, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Marinette and Adrien share a dance, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Secret Identity Reveal, accidental reveal, continuing my streak of being identity reveal trash, matching outfits, you just know when they're older they'll be THAT couple who does it on purpose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 04:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20129674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Ladybug goes looking for inspiration. What she finds is that her kitty has always been much closer than she ever expected.





	Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> This is an expansion of my [Ladynoir July Day 30: Inspiration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19434787/chapters/47459065) ficlet.

Ladybug glanced around to make sure that no one was watching before she left her balcony. With the help of her yoyo, she quickly made her way towards one of her favorite rooftops. It was tall enough to give her a great view of Paris, but wide enough to be comfortable for what she wanted.

Upon reaching her destination, she set her bag down and sat. She took a moment to admire the view. As always, the lights of Paris were truly stunning. A small smile crossed her face as she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and settled it in her lap. Sometimes when she was stuck on a particular design, a walk through Paris didn’t help. But a view of Paris that only one other person got to see, well. 

How could she help but be inspired?

It didn’t take long for her to become completely absorbed in her work; she was trying to design a dress for the huge end of year party Chloé was throwing. Marinette had begrudgingly received an invitation, but only because Adrien had been standing right there watching Chloé expectantly when Chloé was handing the invites out to the rest of their classmates. She was determined to design something that would knock Adrien’s socks off.

“That’s a pretty dress.”

Ladybug jumped and yelped in surprise at the sudden voice over her shoulder. Chat quickly recoiled from her flailing limbs, hands held up in defense of his face. He offered her a sheepish smile when she glared at him, one hand clutched over her chest.

“What have I told you about sneaking up on me?!” she hissed.

“I thought you heard me! I wasn’t quiet!” Chat defended himself.

“I didn’t. I was busy,” Ladybug said, looking down at her book with a thoughtful frown. Thankfully her pencil hadn’t been on the page when Chat startled her, or otherwise she would’ve ended up with a huge mark.

“You were concentrating hard. What’s the dress for, My Lady?” Chat asked, kitty ears straight up and quivering with interest. Ladybug had to hide her smile. The longer they were miraculous holders, the more Chat’s kitty ears betrayed his emotions. It was adorable.

“I was invited to a party,” Ladybug said simply. She couldn’t tell him whose party, of course. That would be giving too much information away, since Chloé’s parties tended to be exclusive, but it couldn’t hurt to tell him that small bit. Paris was full of parties this time of year.

“A party! Oh la la, sounds fun.” Chat grinned at her. “What color is your dress going to be? Ladybug red?” He nudged her ribs playfully.

“No, _Chaton_,” Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve told you before that I try not to wear red. I might do it in pink. That’s my favorite color.” She stared down at the page, envisioning possible colors, and nodded. “Yeah… a deep pink, but not too bright. And this part here…” She traced the hem and then the waist of the skirt. “I might do an accent color.”

Chat leaned in close so he could stare at the page and hummed softly. “What about making it blue?”

“Blue? Why blue?” Ladybug asked.

“I got invited to a party too today,” Chat said, which wasn’t unusual. He frequently referenced things he had to do for his job, and parties seemed to be one of them. Ladybug didn’t know what he did for a job, of course, but it sounded unusually glamorous for an alley cat. Of course, it was also possible that these ‘parties’ were actually something else and Chat was doing just using that word to throw her off track. She’d never tried to think too hard about it.

“Okay?” Ladybug said. “So what?”

“I’m gonna wear a blue shirt and black pants. It would be cool if we matched, that’s all,” he said casually. _Too_ casually.

“Chat, we’re not attending the same party. They’re probably not even at the same time,” Ladybug said. Chloé’s party was a couple weeks off; she assumed Chat’s party was much earlier based on the frequency he talked about them.

He shrugged. “It was just an idea. I thought it might be cool,” he repeated quietly. He didn’t look at her, instead staring off into the distance. Tellingly, his kitty ears drooped.

She’d hurt his feelings, she realized, even though she hadn’t meant to. Ladybug bit her lip, feeling guilty. He hadn’t asked about their identities in a long time out of respect for her, but she knew it was hard for him sometimes. It bothered her too. Not knowing who he was, and not being able to tell him who she was, was frustrating even for her. She looked down at her drawing again.

What would be the harm, really? A secret joke between partners. It might even be something she could rely on to give her a little more strength when facing Chloé and Lila the day of the party. A physical sign of their partnership.

“I think a white dress with blue accents would be nice,” she said into silence. “Or maybe even blue and purple, depending. What shade of blue?”

He looked at her in shock. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“It’s... well… it’s the color of your eyes,” he said, blushing.

Ladybug blushed too. “You’re such a hopeless romantic,” she said, shoving him lightly to hide her embarrassment.

“Only for you, Bugaboo,” Chat said, smiling.

She rolled her eyes again and shook her head. “Okay. That’s a pretty bright shade of blue. So… maybe a blue dress with a darker accent. Navy, maybe.”

Chat nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’m sure you’ll look _paws_-itively stunning.”

“You’re also a massive dork,” Ladybug said absently, scribbling notes to herself.

“Hey!” Chat whined, but she ignored him. She’d have to work fast to have this dress ready for Chloé’s party.

She wondered what Adrien would think. Maybe this would finally be the dress that would make him actually _look_ at her. Not that it would help much if he did, since her tongue consistently tied itself in knots whenever Adrien was around, but it would still be nice to be seen. To have Adrien acknowledge her as something more than a friend. To have him realize she was a woman, and a pretty one at that.

She kept working on her sketch for the next hour, erasing and redrawing lines until she thought it was perfect. Chat, the cat that he was, grew tired of being ignored and obnoxiously draped himself over her shoulders with both of his arms dangling down her front. Ostensibly he wanted to watch her draw; within fifteen minutes, he was sound asleep, snoring softly in her ear. Ladybug told herself that she let it happen only because Chat had told her once that sometimes he had trouble sleeping in his house, and that he always felt safest when he was with her.

Still, they couldn’t stay out here forever. At half past midnight, she woke him up and sent him home. Then she tucked her sketchbook back into her bag and went home herself. Sliding down onto her bed, Ladybug pulled her sketchbook back out and hugged it to her chest as she detransformed.

"You look happy," Tikki observed, shaking her tiny body. "What happened?"

"I got a lot of work done on my dress," Marinette replied, tugging out a napkin from beneath her pillow. She unwrapped it to reveal four cookies. Tikki beamed and flew down to grab one, taking a huge bite out of it while Marinette laid back down and opened her sketchbook to take another peek. She probably should've told Tikki about the agreement she and Chat had come to, but she didn't. It felt more special to keep it to herself. 

"That's a lovely dress, Marinette," Tikki said, leaning against Marinette’s shoulder so that she could see.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go shopping for material tomorrow," Marinette said, closing her eyes. It was unlikely that she'd be able to find a perfect match for what Chat was going to wear, but she'd do her best. Maybe once the party was over, she could either take a picture or bring the dress on patrol so that Chat could see how it had turned out. 

She fell asleep clutching her sketchbook to her chest and woke up so late the next morning that she had to rush to make it to school. Life continued as it normally did for the next two weeks. She and Chat never mentioned their agreement again, though sometimes Ladybug caught him staring her way with that one soft, small smile that never failed to make her traitorous hurt flutter. Alya frequently pestered her about the design of the dress she was making, but Marinette refused to let anyone else see it before it was done. She poured every second of free time into sitting hunched over her sewing machine.

On the night of the party, Marinette showered and did her hair. In lieu of her typical pigtails, she left her hair down and lightly curled the ends. Her dress had turned out beautifully if she did say so herself: with the help of a saleswoman at her favorite fabric store, she'd purchased a swath of fabric in bluebell blue that was a pretty damn close match for her eyes. It had thin straps and fit tightly at the waist before flaring out, with a slightly longer back than front. She had hand-embroidered a bunch of navy blue kitty paws along the hem of the dress, interspersed with silver ladybugs. 

"It's beautiful!" Tikki breathed. "Oh, Marinette. You've outdone yourself. You’re going to be the belle of the ball!"

Marinette spun around and grinned. "You think? It's not too much?"

"Not at all! I love it." Tikki flew closer and pointed to one of the cat paws. "For Chat?"

"I thought it would be cute," Marinette said delicately, smiling at her reflection. She slid on a pair of silver sandals, which she'd borrowed from Alya, and picked up a navy shawl. She draped it carefully across her shoulders, because it was supposed to be cool tonight.

"You look great," Tikki said with a smile.

"Thanks, Tikki! Here." She opened up her silver clutch, which already held three cookies. Tikki beamed and quickly flew inside. Marinette closed her purse and tucked it under her arm as she hurried downstairs.

Alya was already there, wearing a stunning orange wrap dress that fit her every curve and was going to make Nino's eyeballs fall out of his head. The two of them posed for pictures for Marinette's parents before making their escape. They giggled and whispered the whole way to the hotel. Alya was convinced that Marinette's outfit would make Adrien collapse on the spot. Marinette wasn't so sure, but she had to admit she was excited.

"This is so cool," Alya said as they made their way into the hotel.

"It really is," Marinette replied, looking around with awe. For as long as she'd been in school, Chloé's end of year parties had been legendary. Marinette had never been to one; Chloé had always made a point of deliberately snubbing her in the past. She was pretty sure she'd never get another invite again, so she planned to make the most of it.

"Dudes!" Nino called out as they entered the main room. What he said next was a mystery, as it came out as a series of high-pitched strangled sounds when he caught sight of Alya.

"Hi Nino," Marinette said with a giggle.

"Hey," Alya said with a slow, sultry smile that made Nino squeak again.

"I'll leave you guys to it," Marinette said, edging past. She was pretty sure neither of them even heard her. 

There were a lot of people in the room. Marinette didn't recognize most of them; apparently Chloé and Mayor Bourgeois had taken the opportunity to invite half of Paris from the looks of it. It took a little while before she finally found Rose and Juleka, standing in the corner together. They waved her over, and Marinette joined them gratefully.

"You look great, Marinette!" Rose gushed.

"Thanks. You guys look great too," Marinette said. Rose was in pink, of course. Her dress was short, like Marinette's, but with a much fuller skirt. Juleka was wearing a dark purple, full-length dress that was strapless. Marinette noticed more than a few appreciative looks being cast their way.

Juleka was looking at her curiously. "Did you and Adrien coordinate tonight?"

Marinette blinked. "Uh, no? What do you mean?"

Rose and Juleka exchanged looks, and then Rose giggled.

"What? What?" Marinette said, looking between them.

"You guys are wearing the same colors, that's all," Rose said. She clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. "Maybe it's fate."

"Um, I hardly doubt it," Marinette said skeptically. "Are you sure you're not remembering wrong?"

"Look for yourself," Juleka said, nudging gently at Marinette's shoulder and gesturing to their right.

She obediently turned around and promptly froze. Adrien was standing about twenty feet away, speaking to Nino and Alya; she, Juleka and Rose were standing in his periphery, so he hadn't noticed them yet. Marinette hadn't known what he would wear tonight. If Nino and Adrien had talked about it, it hadn't been while Marinette was around. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the bluebell blue dress shirt he was wearing, paired with crisp black pants, a navy tie, and black shoes. His hair, normally gelled back, was a little messier tonight, falling across his forehead.

In her head, Marinette heard the sound of her own voice. _“Okay. That’s a pretty bright shade of blue. So… maybe a blue dress with a darker accent. Navy, maybe.”_

Adrien was wearing a shirt that matched her eyes and had paired it with navy.

It could be a coincidence. It had to be a coincidence.

"See?" Rose squealed. "You guys match perfectly!"

"Uh, yeah," Marinette rasped through a suddenly dry throat. She watched in horror as Alya said something to Adrien and then turned and pointed _right at Marinette_. 

Adrien turned, and it was like he was moving in slow motion. Their eyes made contact and she saw the moment he registered what she was wearing. His lips parted and shock passed over his face. 

And in that moment, Marinette had all the confirmation she needed.

"He's staring at you! You should go ask him to dance," Rose said.

"What? I... I couldn't -" Marinette stammered.

"Sure you can," Juleka said. She actually smiled. "Go for it, Marinette!" She gave Marinette a light push forward.

Marinette stumbled a little, but somehow found the courage and the composure to keep walking. She made her way towards Adrien, never once breaking eye contact with him. As she grew closer, he straightened up. She was vaguely aware of Nino and Alya exchanging excited grins, but all her focus was on Adrien. Her heart was racing, thudding so loudly that the music was drowned out.

When she got to him, Marinette realized she had no idea what to say. She stood there, speechless.

“Hi,” Adrien said finally.

“Hi,” she whispered.

Adrien cleared his throat, looking as awkward as she felt. “Do you, uh…”

“Dance!” Alya hissed. “Ask her to dance!”

“Want to dance?” Adrien finished even more awkwardly.

“Sure,” Marinette croaked. As she took his proffered hand, she wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack at the age of seventeen. It sure felt like it.

He led her out onto the floor, which wasn’t too crowded since the night was still young. The hair on the back of Marinette’s neck prickled; she was keenly aware of the fact that Rose, Juleka, Alya and Nino, and possibly others, were staring at them. But the moment Adrien put his hands on her hips, and she rested her hands on his shoulders, all of that faded away. 

When she thought of him as Chat, as impossible as that was to wrap her head around, she knew _exactly_ what he was going to do before he did it. His body language was as clearly communicated to her as though Adrien had spoken in her ear. She didn’t even have to watch their feet, she realized, or worry that she was going to step on him. Somehow, like magic, their bodies just knew what to do.

Of course, that meant she could look up and see Adrien’s green eyes mere inches away from her own. Marinette gulped and turned bright red. 

“I think we might’ve messed up,” Adrien said. He was blushing too, but there was a familiar glint of stubbornness in his eyes.

“Oh?” Marinette said, feigning casualness. 

“A couple of weeks ago,” Adrien said slowly, “I told my best friend that I was going to a party and that it would be really cool if the two of us matched in some way. That’s why I’m wearing this shirt today.”

Marinette lowered her gaze to take in the color of his shirt again. “I’m a little surprised your father let you out of the house wearing it,” she said. Bright colors weren’t exactly one of Gabriel Agreste’s fortes.

“I snuck out the window,” Adrien said without a hint of apology.

“Of course you did,” Marinette whispered. This could go one of two ways. She could tell Adrien that this was a coincidence and that she had no idea what he was talking about; she was pretty sure he would go along with it, even if they both knew it was nothing of the sort, because Chat had always respected her desire to keep their identities secret. It would be the proverbial elephant in the room for as long as they knew each other, and Marinette was smart enough to know that eventually there would come a point where they _couldn’t_ ignore it any longer.

Or they could avoid the months of uncomfortable uncertainty in both their civilian and superhero lives, and she could be brave right now. Her gaze sharpened as Adrien gently turned them around, and she realized that his silver tie clip wasn’t decorated with a plain circle after all. There was a tiny ladybug on the end of it, nearly hidden by the fold of his shirt, and she suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

“We are so dumb,” Marinette said, unable to contain a giggle. “A couple weeks ago, I told _my_ best friend that the dress I was designing would look good in blue with a navy accent, and that he was a hopeless romantic.” She paused, then added, “And a dork.”

“Hey,” Adrien whined, exactly the way that Chat had, and Marinette’s stomach fluttered with butterflies. This was really happening. Part of her wanted to scream and part of her wanted to freak out and part of her was worried Tikki would be mad and part of her was overwhelmed…

But _all_ of her never wanted to leave Adrien’s arms.

“I thought to myself, what could the harm be?” Marinette went on. “I thought, surely the party my best friend is talking about is happening much sooner than my party. I thought it would be a secret joke between us, and that I’d have to bring my dress with me on patrol so that he could see I’d kept my word.”

“I knew you would,” Adrien said. He was smiling like she’d never seen him smile before, with his whole face. The sort of smile that Chat only ever gave when he and Ladybug were alone. 

Helplessly, Marinette smiled back and gathered all her courage. “I’m glad it’s you… _Chaton_.”

Adrien sagged in relief, closing his eyes for a moment. “I was afraid I was wrong… My Lady.”

Hearing that nickname come out of Adrien’s mouth made Marinette shiver. She lifted a hand and touched his bangs, carefully rearranging them until he looked a little less like a slightly tamed Chat Noir and a little more like Adrien Agreste. He gave her a sheepish smile and held still to allow her to fiddle as she liked. When she was done, Marinette lowered her hand back to his shoulder.

“Do you want to go out on the balcony to talk?” she asked suddenly. “I feel like I’m in a fishbowl.”

A familiar smirk crossed Adrien’s face. “You mean –”

“Oh god, please don’t,” Marinette said, pressing a finger to his lips to cut him off. She didn’t think she had it in her yet to comprehend _just how many_ puns she was going to be listening to on a daily basis for the rest of her life.

“Spoilsport,” Adrien said against her finger.

Marinette just shook her head and grabbed his hand, stepping back. She caught a glimpse of Alya’s and Nino’s faces and wanted to start giggling all over again when she saw how utterly flabbergasted they both looked. Adrien snorted when he looked over her head to see, and then he brought their joined hands up and kissed her knuckles. Nino’s jaw dropped and Alya let out a screech, and Marinette lost it. She burst into laughter and so did Adrien, and they had to make a run for the balcony where they could cackle in peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
